Infinite Zeroes
by zelta-nine
Summary: The Infinity. The pride of the UNSC, has been transported to Halkegenia along with two of her escorts after a failed summoning by lousie. Stranded in uncharted space and no way to contact home, How would the thousands of brave sailors and soldiers of Earth and her colonies adapt to their current situation? The UNSC has arrived on Halkegenia, and they are here to stay.
1. Chapter 1: Calling out to the stars

_Imaginationburstinngout: Hey everyone what's up it's me! For those who are asking "What are you doing here?" well here's my answer; recently I just got a message from an individual asking me to have a collaboration effort with him_

 _Zelta-nine: that's true, this story is inspired by Mcree 114 zero to infinity. Lately, I've noticed that there were very few halo and familiar of zero crossovers, so we decided to write one._

 _Imaginationburstinngout: I hope that you'll like the story we've made! So without further ado let's go on with the story!_

 _italics: ship names and writers notes._

 ***we do not own halo or familiar of zero except for a few OC's. Halo belongs to 343 industries and Bungie while familiar of zero belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi**

 **Infinite Zero**

 **Prologue: Calling out to the Stars**

 **Sol system: Earth**

Space, the Final Frontier

It is known to Humanity by many names, the void, abyss and many more. But for all its beauty and splendour, it too is a realm of death and destruction. For 25 years, countless sailors and soldiers of the UNSC perished in the cold, dark void. Against a foe more terrifying than any other adversaries they faced. Whole worlds were incinerated by the Covenant. Majestic constructs of steel, once mighty warships of earth and her colonies, were reduced to nothing but lifeless hulks of metal floating through the abyss. But yet, even after having half of their population destroyed, even after having countless worlds reduced to ash, even after having their once mighty navy diminished to nothing more than a handful of assorted ships, humanity still stands. With the war over, planets once lost were being recolonised and brought back into the fold. The once silent shipyards soon began churning out ships of new designs, with a power greater than that of its predecessors, and humanity set out to regain what was once lost. One such ship and her escorts orbits around the ancient homeworld of mankind, the cradle of human civilisation and the heart of the UEG, a ship that is second to none. And that ship was The UNSC Infinity.

The Infinity represented the pinnacle of human engineering, the pride and might of the UNSC, a testament to humanities efforts in rebuilding. At a length of 5.7km long, it was the largest ship in the whole of the UNSC Navy. Bolstering 4 CR-03 Series 8 MAC guns, dozens of deck guns, missiles and point defence turrets and fitted with every single piece of forerunner tech humanity could get it hands-on, it was truly a force to be reckoned with. After the lessons learnt at requiem, the Infinity was always accompanied by a small escort fleet, consisting of 9 autumn class heavy cruisers. As the fleet orbits around the earth, awaiting further orders, the newly appointed captain of the infinity enters the bridge.

"Roland, status report." captain Thomas J. Lasky requested in a neutral tone. Not long ago he was but an executive officer on board the infinity, but now he was the captain of the greatest warship ever constructed by man. "A strange twist of fate," he thought to himself, as he went over the daily reports. Like every other crew member on the bridges, save for a few, he too was wearing the standard Navy BDU.

"All engine systems are fully functional, shields at 100% and all weapon systems are online. New crew members have just finished settling in." Roland responded. All around the bridge the crew were running about, ensuring that all systems were functioning and ensuring that preparations are complete. The lights from the various holograms and screens illuminated the once dim room.

"Also we just received word from battlegroup Infinity, all preparations are complete and they are waiting to jump at your command."

Lasky raised his head from the reports, being silent for a few seconds before responding. "Inform the fleet that we will enter slip-space in 10 minutes."

"With pleasure, sir, can't wait for the next mission. I have a gut feeling that this would turn out well for once." The A.I responded in a rather sarcastic tone. Ignoring Roland, captain Lasky then turns around and activate the intercom in order to address the crew. "Once more unto the breach" he mentally whispered to himself

 **All personals prepare for slip-space transit. We will be departing at exactly 1720.**

Deactivating the mike, he let out an audible sigh. It felt like every time after they had just completed a mission, a new one was shoved in their faces.

Ever since the operation on requiem

Requiem

Just the mere mention of that wretched forerunner world was more than enough to send a shiver down his spine. Back then he was just an executive officer serving under the command of captain Andrew del Rio. Downing a sip of water from his flask, he started to recall the chain of events which occurred after they had crash landed on that God forsaken place. The attacks by the covenant remnant and those accursed Prometheans, the crash, and the master chief and his A.I companion Cortana. Nobody saw that coming. Almost everyone thought that the chief was killed, never to be seen again. But there he was, alive and well. They were soon warned about a being, no a forerunner, an actual living forerunner called the Didact. And his plans for a weapon called the composer, along with his intentions to unleash it upon humanity. Despite his best attempts to persuade captain Del Rio to assist the master chief, his opinions were dismissed and Del Rio decided to bring the infinity back to earth, a decision which cost him his career. Andrew del Rio was stripped of his position and dishonourably discharged. And that was not the only consequences of that foolish man's actions.

The entire population of New Phoenix, over 6 million people, all gone when the Didact fired the composer. He could hear and picture it all in his head. People being incinerated or "composed" for a better term, in a matter of seconds. The cries of Pain and for mercy, children screaming for their mothers, and the screeching of the old and young as their flesh burned and disintegrated. Lasky could feel the anger slowly rising up inside of him. All of this could have been prevented if only Del Rio listened to the master chief. He had to use every bit of self-control within him to prevent himself from bursting into a rage. It was only due to the arrival of the master chief that they were able to defeat the Didact and prevent the rest of earth from suffering a similar fate. Calming himself down, he decided to think about the whole incident involving the master chief. The Master Chief was a legend throughout UEG space. Countless stories have been passed on about his feats, but only a few have had the honour of seeing him with their very own eyes. He was seen as a hero to the UNSC, but for the covenant on the other hand…..their views on him were anything but positive. He was said to have turned the tide in many battles, Hundreds of thousands were slain by this being in which the covenant soon came to call, the "Demon", his mere presence on the battlefield strikes fear into the hearts of even the most experienced covenant soldiers. Grunts were even rumoured to run just at the sight of him, but that was only a rumour as they would also run from anything so long as their commanding officer was dead. Lasky chuckled as he thought about that. Despite the common misconception, that underneath that armour was nothing but a killing machine, Master Chief was far from that. Throughout the covenant war and the operations on requiem, He has proven to be a rather sociable character, and would always look out for his fellow teammates. Lasky even had the privilege of working together with him when the Covenant attacked the academy on Circinius IV. But this time, something inside of chief changed when Cortana sacrificed herself for humanity. It was as if a Part of the chief has been ripped apart. After talking to Chief on the observation decks, chief completely disappeared off the radar. So far no one had seen nor heard from him.

And to add insult to the Injury, they had to return to the exact same place where they almost died after Six months. Apparently, the top brass wanted a research outpost there. It was also Lasky's first trial of fire as the captain of infinity. As expected, they encountered resistance from the Jul M'damas covenant, but they were slowly pushing them back Until the Prometheans showed up. With their superior weaponry, they were cutting through most UNSC forces like a knife through hot butter. Only with the interventions of the Spartan IV's were they able to stand a chance. And that op only got worse and worse, to put it mildly. They were extremely lucky that the infinity came back in one piece.

And after all that, they were thrown into the fray once again. According to the information provided by HIGHCOM, The infinity would be tasked with escorting lord hood and the Sangheili arbiter to Ealean IV for peace talks with the Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus. When Lasky was first briefed about it he had to pinch himself to ensure that he was awake. Brutes and peace don't necessarily go well with each other, from his past experiences, most of the time they were too bloodthirsty or violent, always being the first to charge into battle. This Was a surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless, maybe there is hope for peace.

"Roland, activate the slip-space drives. we are leaving, now."

"Of course sir," The A.I replied cheerfully before his avatar blinked out.

Lasky then turned to the helmsman." lieutenant James, keep us on course, prepare for slip-space navigation."

"Understood sir" Lieutenant James replied

Remembering something, he immediately turned over to his console and pushed a small button located at the bottom, A blue holographic screen soon materialise, showing the form of the weapons officer, Lieutenant Austen.

"Lieutenant Austen, please ensure that all strident frigates are ready to be launched and I want all marines and ODSTs to be combat ready at all times. Am I understood?"

"With all due respect, is all these additional security measures really needed? I understand having the frigates ready to launch at a moment's notice, but for the Infinity's shipboard crew compliment? there's no way the storm covenant would show up, not on the most heavily defended planet in the whole of UNSC space."

"It is not wise to tempt fate, Lieutenant Austen, lest it gets back at you. You have your orders, carry them out. Lasky out" and with that, he cut off the channel. Leaning back into his seat, he looked over the holo-projection of the Infinity and it's escorting fleet as they moved towards their designated markers. Slumping back, he closed his eyes for a second and let out a sigh.

"Here we go again," he thought to himself.

 **Unknown planet: xxxx**

The Tristian academy of magic was one of the most, if not the most prestigious school in the whole of halkegenia. It specialises in the art of magic and is exclusive only to nobles. It didn't matter which nation you hail from, all nobles are welcome to join.

Louise bit on her lip as anxiety filled her being, today was the Springtime Summoning Festival; the day in which she is to prove to all her peers that she is one of them, that she is a mage. Yet why is she feeling this way? Despite her confidence, Louise has a tendency to make things… explosive thus came to the title "Zero". In theory, she's a prodigy, she would have been praised for it was it not for a single problem.

She can't cast a single spell.

It is not because she has very low Willpower if the results of her spells were to say anything it's that she has plenty of it, but that doesn't explain why everything she casts always explodes.

She tried fire spells but all she got were sparks.

Not a single drop of water came out, only black dust of explosions.

Earth wouldn't bend to her will, only leave a smouldering crater.

And not even her mother's main element; wind obeyed her, all she got was concussive blasts.

But despite all of these pulling her back, she shouldered on and pushed onwards, ignoring every single rumour that circulated around the academy, her chin never touched her chest as doing so would bring her family name to shame and for every insult they throw at her, she fought back with a venomous tongue that would have melted steel had it actually been real but due to her undeveloped body her peers rarely acknowledges her bites.

"Why should I be afraid of you? You can't even cast a spell, Zero!"

"Why did you even come to this academy Zero? I think you're better off being married to another noble to save face, to be honest,"

"Zero, just give it up! There's no way you could catch up to us, you can't even cast a single spell!"

Louise shook her head removing all of the negative thoughts that plagued her mind, those were not true and she's going to prove it tod-

"Louise de la Valliere," called out her teacher.

"I hope," she told herself.

When she reached the centre she began to weave the summoning circle on the ground using chalk, first was a circle, not too big but not too small as well, she followed this up by placing intricate symbols that dotted inside the circle here and there, then she drew three circles that formed a triangle inside the circle and finally on the centre of it all she drew a square.

Murmurs surrounded the pinkette judging her summoning circle, she didn't listen to them she took a deep breath and finally chanted the words she'd been practising all night.

"My wonderful familiar that exists somewhere in this universe, answer my call, oh powerful familiar, and be my long lasting servant. My familiar, I summon thee!" she proclaimed while pouring all of her willpower into that summoning spell.

For a split-second, students thought she was actually summoning something with all those powerful words that came out of her mouth, seconds passed and nothing happened and Louise was still standing there in the middle of it all. Muffled giggles started to arise, disturbing the pinkette, giggles turned to snorts and snorts turned to laughter as Louise still stood on the same spot still waiting for something to happen.

Meanwhile Louise was having an amazing vision, for in her mindscape stars dotted the sky, she felt that she was doing something right if she's seeing something like this, her admiring was interrupted when something bright shone behind her, turning around, her jaws dropped at the sight of what looks to be a something made of metal, the size of the thing is so huge that Louise might as well be an ant in comparison to what she was seeing, as the giant thing moved closer to her she reached out with her left hand.

"Are you my familiar?" she wondered.

She was almost in arms reach when all of a sudden a violent tugging motion pulled her out of her mindscape and back into the real world, the result of this was, of course, the usual.

 **UNSC Infinity**

 **Hanger bay 4**

"All right marines, this is your stop. Everybody off!" yelled the pilot as the D79 pelican landed in the hanger. Once the ramp drops, two dozen marines exited it in a calm and orderly manner. These marines were fresh recruits just out of boot camp, and for most of them, it was their first time being posted on a spacecraft. As they marched out in rows of two, a certain marine was taking in the sights, gawking at the many vehicles and equipment with great curiosity.

"Check it out Thomas, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah, it's amazing, can't believe we're actually stationed on this ship."

"Wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you, heard from the guys in the other platoons that this ship is…."

"HEY YOU THREE, GET BACK IN LINE. IF I SEE YOU SIGHTSEEING AGAIN YOU ARE IN FOR A WORLD OF HURT. IS THAT CLEAR?" A burly sergeant yelled at the three marines chattering amongst each other. He was far from having a good day.

"SIR YES SIR!" the three exclaimed before rushing back to rejoin their ranks, amongst them was none other than 20-year-old private Hiraga Saito.

Saito was born on Reach in 2538. He lived with both his parents and his little sister in a small apartment. He had everything a child could ask for, a loving family and a roof under his head. All that soon changed when the covenant attack Reach in 2552. He watched as a Brute ripped out his father's spine and strangled his mother with it, before crushing his sister with its foot. Before the brute could get to Saito, it was killed by a squad of marines which showed up In the Nick of time, he was then taken to an evacuation site along with his aunt and uncle and managed to board the last evacuation ship. Due to the cole protocol, The ship took a few randomised jumps before jumping back to earth. He managed to survive and stayed with a relative until the Age of 18 when he signed up with the marines to make sure that no one else would go through the same events he had experienced. Even though he had mostly gotten over the death of his family, he still had some flashbacks about it, but they are quite rare. He might not be as strong nor as smart as some of the recruits in his platoon, but he is a team player and would always stand up for his teammates whenever they are in trouble, not to mention that he has a knack for attracting the ladies. All in all, he is a very sociable person and is well-liked by his squad, as long as you don't bring up the topic about his parents.

Along with him were his best friends Marcus and Cheng, whom he had met during boot camp. By chance, all three of the marines were formerly from reach and were the lucky ones that managed to escape, unlike the other few million unlucky souls who died in a fiery hell when the covenant glassed Reach. However, unlike Saito, Marcus and Cheng managed to escape with their whole families intact. To Saito, these two were the closest thing he had to a family; they were simply brothers to him.

The corridor was a hive an activity. Marines were conducting patrols across the ship, technicians were running about the place ensuring that every piece of equipment is in working condition and cleaning robots performing their duties. As the three of them marched along with their squad to the briefing room, they could not help but be amazed at the size of this gargantuan ship. Back then they were told that the biggest UNSC ship was the Punic-class supercarriers at 4km, however, now that title belonged to the _infinity_ instead

"I wonder how did they even manage to conceal a ship this size and only unveil it a few months ago," Saito asked, hungry for more information about the _Infinity_

"Eh, most likely ONI was involved. The spooks have a lot of secrets hidden up their sleeves."

"I won't be so happy if I were you, apparently the Master Chief was aboard this ship before disappearing," Cheng said pessimistically

"Really, then that makes it even better, to be on the same ship the Master Chief is no less an honour!"

It was well known throughout the squad that Marcus is a big fan of the Master Chief, every time during meals he would go off ranting nonstop about the Master Chief's exploits and feats.

It was clear that Cheng did not share the same enthusiasm as Marcus. Taking a step back, he cautiously looked around before whispering to the two of them.

"Have you heard about the curse of the Master Chief? It was said that any ship that he was on has been destroyed in battle. Think about it, the _forward unto dawn, in amber clad,_ and the _pillar_ _of_ _autumn_ were all destroyed by the covenant. And guess who they were carrying."

"Come one, you can't just believe everything you hear on the…."

Having heard enough, Saito turned and glared at the two bickering squad mates.

"Cut it out with the superstitious crap, In case you have forgotten, we have a briefing to attend. Now let's…"

Before Saito could finish his sentence, the ship started shaking vigorously, causing a few crewmembers to fall. A blue wave of energy swept through the hallway, causing The lights in the corridor to die out for a few seconds, before being replaced by the red emergency lights.

 **GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS. ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS.**

As the various crewmembers rushed to their positions on board the ship, Cheng turned around, looking straight at both Saito and Marcus, his cold glare piercing through the thick air around them. The words they dreaded so much to hear was soon spoken.

"Told you so,"

 **Sol System 2558**

 **Infinity's bridge:**

"Prepare to jump on my mark," Lasky said as he stared at his watch. Seconds turned to minutes as the crew waited to jump into slip-space. Meanwhile, in the engine room of the infinity, the ancient forerunner slip-space drive began to power up, preparing to cut a hole between normal space and slipspace. Unlike human slip-space drives which use brute forces to "punch" a hole between the two realities. The forerunner slip-space drive is a more elegant device, taking a small rupture and enlarging it with surgical precision.

As the slip-space portal materialises and expands, Lasky was staring at the holograms representing the fleet. Looking at out through the viewport, he then proceeds to look at his watch

"Prepare to enter slip-space on my mar…"

"Sir, something is happening to the portal!" the frantic voice belonging to Lieutenant James cut off Captain Lasky before he could finish his sentence.

Turning about, he looked to see the slip-space portal growing with every passing second. Before he could start issuing orders, he was thrown back by a wave of blue energy as it spreads throughout the bridge, Cutting off power for a few seconds and throwing the bridge into darkness. The red emergency lights soon kicked in, illuminating the bridge. Warning alarms were going off and all monitors were displaying large yellow warning signs. Crew members were rushing about trying to rectify the immediate problems.

"Roland! What's going on?" Lasky grunted as he pulled himself up.

"Sir, something went wrong with the slip-space procedures, the portal has somehow become a gravitational abnormally and is pulling us towards it. In fact, this is the first time I've seen something like this happen. The Engineers have shut down the Drive but that abnormally is still pulling us towards it." Roland replied with a mix of both fear and excitement.

Silently cursing to himself, Lasky turned over to where Lieutenant James was sitting. The helmsman had his hands full for the moment, trying to give orders to the engine room, sweat running down his forehead.

"Lieutenant James, Full power to reverse thrusters now!"

"Sir the reverse thrusters ARE at full power, it's not enough! Main reactors are at 35%"

"All weapons systems are down; I repeat weapon systems are down!"

"Sir, we are receiving reports from the captains Williams of the _Endurance_ and Captain Richards _Freedoms_ _call_! They are reporting the same technical issues we are facing and are being dragged into the Anomaly as we speak."

The colour drained from Lasky's face. If the cruiser carrying Lord Hood was dragged into the abnormally, then the UNSC would be thrown into chaos. Lord Hood was one of the most influential members of the UNSC to date. The consequences of losing him would be far from good. The Infinity no matter how large or powerful, is still is a ship which could be replaced. But a man could not.

"Lieutenant Ryder, Inform all UNSC ships to maintain a safe distance of at least 10 km away from the anomaly. We can not afford to lose fleet Admiral hood!"

"Already did it, sir, apart from the _endurance_ and _freedoms_ _call_ , the rest of the ships in the fleet are outside the zone."

Before Captain Lasky could let out a sigh of relief, the ship lurched forward, increasing in speed as the infinity is pulled towards the portal. Unable to resist the pull of the swirling blue vortex, the _endurance_ and _Freedoms_ _call_ followed right behind the _Infinity_.

"This is it, Sir, we're going in!"

"Shit!" Lasky thought to himself before turning towards the intercom and made a ship-wide announcement.

 **ALL PERSONALS ONBOARD THE SHIP, HOLD ON TO SOMETHING. THIS IS GOING TO GET ROUGH!**

With that, the crewmembers on the ship held on to whatever they could find as the Infinity and two of her escorts were dragged into the swirling vortex. As the last bit of the Infinity entered through, the portal collapsed on itself, releasing a wave of blue energy throughout its surroundings. Temporarily disabling the remainder of the Infinities escort fleet and several of the Orbital MACs.

 **Unknown planet xxxx**

Louise shook and coughed as the dust settled after her recent failure of another cries from students surrounded her, but she didn't care because she had successfully summoned her familiar. She could almost see it, the shocked look of her peers' faces, they would have to acknowledge her now and she would rub it on their faces proof that she wasn't a Zero.

When there was no more dust she could see the students on the ground, some of them were standing up, one, in particular, was a tan girl with a very matured body, her skirt was too short to be approved by the school dress code, her button-up shirt had its first three buttons removed to in favour to show off her generous bust and if that wasn't showing enough skin well the rolled up sleeves were there to help a bit. Her crimson hair fell to her back which was had some tufts of it flared outside just like her affinity in fire, the girl was her tormentor, Kirche von Anhalt Zerbst.

"So? Where is this amazing familiar of yours Louise?" she asked.

Louise simply raised her chin up high, "Don't you see it?"

"Unless your familiar is an ant, then no… I don't see anything," Kirche said with a straight tone.

"What?"

Louise opened her eyes, true to the red head's words, there's no being in front of her, just grass and the students that were a few feet away from her, then she turned around hoping that it was behind her but it yielded the same result.

Louise exterior being was that of calm but inside she was panicking, how can this be? She was sure that whatever she saw in her vision was her familiar! Did it not appear because she was interrupted by someone when she was about to touch it. She kept spinning around but she didn't move an inch.

"How can this be? I-I I'm sure I saw it, I was about to touch it!" Louise muttered to herself.

"Ms Valliere, please step out of the summoning circle,"

Louise's body froze, her eyes were slowly watering but she held the dam. She turned around to see his final bastion of support Mr Colbert, he wore the standard teacher's grey robes and his staff had a red crystal that was wrapped with wood taken from a tree. The look on his face brought chills down Louise's spine, it was the look of pity. She knew what was going to happen next. Yet she wanted to hope that her teacher is lenient.

"I-I would like to try again, Mr Colbert," she said, her voice faltering

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that Ms Valliere, now please step out of the summoning circle," He said sternly.

The dam that Louise was doing her best to hold broke, tears streamed from her face as she looked at her teacher with desperation in her eyes, "Please, Mr Colbert! Allow me to try again. Please!"

"Enough!" her teacher yelled at her silencing her.

Jean Colbert took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he tried his best to explain to his broken student why she couldn't try again, "The Spring Time Summoning Festival is a sacred festival that has started since the academy started, this was the tradition it had back then and we still hold it now. To break tradition now is considered an insult. Now please Ms Valliere, step out of the summoning circle,"

Louise knew that arguing with the teacher at this point is fruitless, the 'Rule of Steel' that her mother drilled into her head finally broke. Her chin touched her chest as she slowly walked out of the circle tears dropping on the grass, not a single one spoke. No one even murmured. In a way Louise wanted them to actually call her "Zero" at least it was like some sweet lie telling her that she's still studying in the academy and the teases that she endured was a testament to her that no matter what she was still accepted in the school. When she was finally out of the circle a hand grabbed her shoulder, she looked up to see the sad look of her teacher.

"Please pack your things. we will inform your family… you tried your best," Jean said trying to salvage the broken girl.

'But your best wasn't good enough' was what Louise thought. She ran away from her peers and headed straight to her room, she had taken enough insults already.

She just wants to go to her room and rest.

 **UNSC Infinity**

 **Armoury 5**

The Armouries of the Infinity would be mostly empty on a regular day, save for the quartermasters tending to the facility and a few sentries stationed to prevent any thefts. However, this time it was different. The facility was packed as marines rushed in to collect their gear and COs were shouting out orders.

As Saito clutched the BR55 in his hands, he could not help but feel a sense of apprehension and excitement. This was probably going to be his first combat experience in the marines, and he sure as hell was not going to die on his first battle. Falling in with the rest of the platoon, he made it just in time as the Lieutenant began to give out instructions.

"All right men, the platoon would be divided into groups of 3. Each group would be responsible for sweeping their assigned sector for hostiles. If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately. IS THAT CLEAR MARINES?"

"SIR YES SIR!" the platoon chorused determination evident in their voices.

"Private Hiraga, Private Marcus and Private Cheng, sweep sectors 34- 55 on deck 3 for any hostiles, standard ROE applies. Now get a move on!"

"Aye sir!" the trio responded as they hastily exited the armoury and made their way to their assigned locations. Across the corridor, Bright red lights illuminated the hallway and klaxons were blaring as crew members rushed around the ship to their positions. As they were running towards the elevator leading to deck 3, they overheard the various conversations going on around them.

"What do you mean the reactor is at 35%? The engines are fried? Then start repairing it immediately! We cannot afford to be drifting in space." A flustered engineer yelled over the horn to the crew members stationed at the engine room

"Second lieutenant get your pilots to their fighters immediately, they might be needed when we exit slip-space, there's no telling what's on the other side" A group of pilots accompanied by a naval officer were making their way to hanger bay 11, each carrying their flight helmets in one hand

"Man this reminds me of one of the movies I watched when I was a kid, next thing you know some kind of parasite would run around infecting the crew," Marcus mentions as the group tried to navigate their way through the already crowded and hectic hallway.

"See I told you, this ship was cursed, now we are in slip-space to god knows where and…."

"Alright, the elevator should be right after this turn," Saito said as he glanced at the hologram of the Ship's layout. A million thoughts were going through his head. From what little information he had gathered the Infinity has been dragged into a portal along with a few other ships. Could this be some sort of storm covenant trap? Or did the slip-space drive malfunctioned? He highly doubts it was the latter though. But if this is a storm covenant trap they were in deep trouble. Not only was the _infinity's_ engines fried, apparently their weapon systems were down. Saito was not sure if the _Infinity's_ armour alone could withstand energy projectors but he certainly did not want to find out. As he stepped into the lift, he noticed the looks on his friends' faces which were all too familiar to him, anxiety and excitement. This was probably going to be their first battle after all. Sweat was already starting to drip down from Marcus's forehead while Cheng was just staring blankly into space.

"Alright guys, I know this might be our first time in combat and you guys are likely scared shitless. But keep your cool and we would be fine, ok?"

Reassured, the two marines nodded, their eyes filled with determination. As the elevator finally arrives at deck 3, the doors opened and the trio stepped out, weapons ready to shred any storm covenant dumb enough to stand in their way.

Just about then the intercom system came to life with another announcement.

 **ALL HANDS WE ARE EXITING SLIPSPACE**

Looking at each other, the trio was shocked. It has been less than 15 minutes and they were already at their destination? Even with the forerunner slip-space drive, the Infinity could not have travelled that fast.

 **Unknown system xxxx**

 **UNSC infinity: bridge**

As the Infinity emerged from slip-space, Captain Lasky could not help but look in awe at the blue and green planet below him. He was thankful that the infinity did not jump right into a moon but at the same time he could not help but wonder where they were. Unfortunately, he did not have time to ponder about it as there were other urgent matters to attend to. Such as the fact that infinity was on a collision course with the planet's surface!

"Roland, do you have any idea where the hell are we?"

"Unknown sir, the planet does not match any UNSC colonies from the records I have. Our navigation systems can't pinpoint our exact location either. we're not on the map anymore, that's for certain."

"What can you tell me about the planet?" Lasky was slowly getting impatient.

"The planet is the same size as earth and scans have shown that the planet's atmosphere is similar if not identical to that of the earth. Additionally, there are two moons orbiting around the planet, one is red while the other is blue."

As a holographic map of the surface was brought up, an idea immediately strikes Lasky.

"Roland! I want all power to the reverse thrusters; that should soften our descent. Lieutenant James, there's a plain right ahead at about 10000km, see if you can land the infinity there." Lasky ordered in a commanding voice as he pointed towards a field on the hologram.

"Yes, sir!"

"Sir, we are receiving transmissions from the _Endurance_ and the _freedom's_ _call_. They are reporting that all power has returned to their systems. They would be able to slow themselves down and also would be escorting us down to the surface." Lieutenant Ryder spoke as he fumbled with the communications monitor.

"Lieutenant Austen, Launch all strident frigates immediately. That should get rid of some of the weight."

"Understood sir, launching strident frigates," Austen replied as she issued commands. In the underbelly of the infinity, hanger doors were opened and magnetic locks were disengaged as the frigates were deployed. Fanning out from the underbelly, they took positions between the Infinity and the two autumn class cruisers, prepared to defend the Infinity from any threats. Due to the loss of weight, the Infinity manages to level out as it enters the atmosphere.

As Lasky watched as the Infinity slowly made it descent, he could not help but feel a sense of Deja vu. However, unlike requiem, this was a controlled crash which even though might damage the infinity it would not be too severe as compared to Requiem. To his shock, there were a few medieval like settlements on the surface.

"Sir, I'm detecting life signs and various settlements around the vicinity, several of which are in the Infinity's collision path!" Roland said in alarm as he processed the information.

"There's nothing we could do, right now we should be more concerned with trying to avoid reducing the Infinity to a pile of burning scrap!" Lasky replied. While it is regrettable that a few of the natives would perish, they have to look after themselves right now.

"Sir, I see the LZ, 5000 km and closing. I recommend that you hold on to whatever you can, this is going to get rough!" Exclaimed Lieutenant James as he pressed on multiple buttons which resulted in giving all the remaining power to the reverse thrusters.

" **ALL** **HANDS** , **BRACE** **FOR** **IMPACT**." Was the last thing Lasky said through the intercom before the Infinity made contact with the ground.

 **Unknown planet xxxx**

Panic

That was the first thing that was felt by the sleeping kingdom of Tristain; one moment everyone was sleeping then a massive tremor, which came out of nowhere, woke the kingdom up. Fortunately for the kingdom, it was relatively unharmed. The only damages that it received were minor. Broken furniture here and a crumbled building there. All in all, it was nothing serious.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Tristain Magical Academy. For while in the kingdom its people only experienced what they believed was a square class earth mage spell gone wrong. The residents of the Academy believed that it was doomsday. Inside the building tables were toppled, paintings were knocked off their walls, delicate china was shattered. Bookshelves were tumbled like a line of dominos and the entire school was in utter chaos. Servants and maids approached nobles who were knocked over by the initial quake and helped them stand up, the ones that managed to stand up after the quake stepped outside of their rooms, dormitories and offices, curious as to what in Brimir is happening. The servants were already rushing inside multiple structures carrying brooms and other cleaning supplies. Teachers were also outside trying their best to quell the storm of panicked nobles.

One of these teachers was Jean Colbert, formerly known as the Flame Snake and captain of a mage company although he dropped that title long ago and decided to use his magic for other purposes like teaching his students.

"Everyone stay calm and go to your assigned years so that we may do a head count!" He shouted.

While the noise was still present the younger nobles listened. The ones wearing a brown cape gathered to the left, which consisted of first years. The students wearing black capes gathered in the centre which were the second years and finally the ones purple capes gathered to the right were the third years. The teachers responsible for each year began counting. Jean was responsible for the second years.

"…Ms. Folia, Mr Gramont, Ms Zerbst… where's Ms Valliere?!" he asked the class.

The class started to look around them hoping to find the failed mage but alas she was not found. Worry decided to show its ugly face in Colbert's features as they tried to look for the pinkette. The search stopped when flapping noises were heard which made Jean look up; it was Tabitha and she was riding on her newly summoned Rhyme Dragon.

"Ms Tabitha! I almost forgot about you, could you please help us find Ms Valliere it appears she isn't with her class," Colbert said.

"Tabitha, where have you been?" Kirche asked as she approached the blue haired girl.

"Investigate," was all she said.

"Investigate what Ms Tabitha?"

"Crash site, earthquake, not far from here,"

Colbert was a smart man so it didn't take him long to put two and two together, "Where is the direction of the crash?"

Tabitha looked in the direction of south-west and pointed her staff in that direction giving the fire mage a general direction.

"Thank you, we will investigate it as soon as we have all of the students here," Colbert said.

"Valliere,"

"What?"

"Valliere, crash site, investigate,"

Colbert's blood ran cold, the worry that was on his face heightened tenfold and sweat started to drip from his face as relaxation soon hit home.

"Ms Chevreuse, please watch over the children!"

The old earth mage looked at him and gave an understanding nod. Colbert left the courtyard and went straight to the stables; once he reached his desired location he noticed that the doors of one of the structures that housed a horse were wide open, Colbert clicked his tongue and went for another horse, once strapped in he smacked both of his legs beside the horse prompting it to go.

The Flame Snake left the premises of the academy in search of a Valliere.

"Please let me be wrong. By the founder please let me be wrong. " he thought as he pushed the horse as far as it could go towards the pillar of smoke rising in the horizon.

-LINE BREAK-

Louise was elated. She knew that she wasn't going crazy. Before the entire ordeal, she had managed to catch a glimpse of the colossal creature that she saw in her vision in the sky quickly descending not far from the academy. Without hesitation Louise left the dorm and sprinted to the stables to get a horse, once she had one she made a mad dash towards the crash site not noticing Tabitha, when she finally left the school's premises she finally felt the tremor that her familiar caused but it didn't hinder her, right now she was too focused to reaching her will be familiar.

After that, the school won't have to expel her and she will finally get the acknowledgement she rightfully deserved.

"I did it! I actually did it! Mother, father. I have done you proud! " she thought excitedly as she rode her horse towards her familiar.

Unfortunately, Fate had other plans for her. On that fateful day, Halkegenia was changed forever.

 _Imaginationsburstingout: And that's for the prologue of the story. I have to say I am really glad that this turned out well!_

 _Zelta-nine: Oh dear, looks like lousie has run off to find the infinity, not to worry. Anyway, that's all for this chapter folks. Feedback would be greatly appreciated._

 _Imatignationsburtsingout: I hope you all enjoyed this prologue and expect a new chapter soon_

 _Peace~_

 _Zelta-nine: Next chapter is going to be interesting. stay frosty folks. Zelta nine out._


	2. Chapter 2: Contact

_hi guys, sorry for the long delay, got caught up in school and had to prepare for my MYE. also this would be the last chapter that me and imaginationburstingout would be collaborating on due to his tight schedule. Anyway here it is so i hope you enjoy it_

 ***we do not own halo or familiar of zero except for a few OC's. Halo belongs to 343 industries and Bungie while familiar of zero belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi**

 **Unknown planet xxxx**

 **Infinity's bridge**

"That was smoother than expected." Lasky thought as he surveyed the bridge. Thanks to the expertise and skill of Lieutenant James, The Infinity was more and less in one piece. However, that was where the good news ended. The Natives of this planet would have no doubt witnessed the infinity making planetfall, and would most likely not react too kindly to the behemoth directly on their doorstep. Sooner or later they would have to meet with the current government of this nation and negotiate with them, something which Lasky was not too keen about. For god sake, he was a soldier, not a diplomat! Snapping back to reality, he pushed a button on the command console. Dozens of diagnostic reports on the various systems of the infinity sprang to life. Status on the infinity's Weaponry, shielding, power and Armour integrity sprang up to life, illuminating its surrounding. Scrolling through them, he proceeded to bring up a holographic map of the continent they were on. While the Infinity was in orbit, the onboard cameras had managed to capture various snapshots of the surface. The landscape started to form, Lasky was having a hard time believing what he was seeing.

Is an entire nation seemingly floating above the ocean without the use of thrusters or any advanced systems? That was not something ordinary. Another disturbing issue he had noticed was how eerily similar the continent was to Europe back on earth. Zooming in to where the Infinity was, He could see various Settlements and towns in the surrounding vicinity. Taking a closer look, the houses and buildings and roads all bore the hints of 16th-century architecture with the occasional windmill. It was as if they had travelled a thousand years back into the past. Shifting the map, at about 100 km away was a large medieval city, protected by high walls and guard towers. Around in were various buildings such as bars, shops and houses. In the centre of it lies a sturdy yet elegant castle with a moat. In between it and the infinity lies a Building similar to that of a castle. It was built like a pentagon, towers of stone and of different colours were located on each side of it, glistening in the sunlight. In the centre lies a rather tall ornate tower, underneath its lies it's base consisting of two cylindrical stone buildings stacked on each other. Aesthetically speaking, it was one of the most beautiful things Lasky had set his eyes on in quite a while. It has a certain aura to it, one of tranquillity but at the same time radiates of power. Looking over at the holographic panel, he could see Roland's avatar running over a few images taken with a mixed expression of wonder and strangely…..relief?

"Roland, what do you make of this?" Lasky asked the orange ww2 bomber pilot.

"I have mixed feeling on this Sir. This castle's architecture has got to be one of the best I have ever seen. Just look at those towers! On the other hand from the other not so glamorous photographs taken, these people are extremely primitive. Horse-drawn carts? Windmills? Stone roads? I have to run a diagnostic check on my systems to ensure that I'm not running rampant. It's like we have landed in the past." Roland said with disbelief as he continues to gawk at the holograms. " On the other hand, we won't have to worry much about them sir. You can infer a lot about one's culture from their art. Most likely at best their armies would be armed with early 16th century muskets and cannons. Which will be dealt with easily. Their weaponry would not be able to scratch our marine armour. The only thing we have to worry about is their flying boats…. And some of their wildlife….which include dragons…..."

That last sentence nearly made Lasky choke and caused him to freeze. Flying boats? Dragons? If he remembered correctly he was sure that they had landed on an uncharted planet, not some fairytale world. Recomposing himself, he turned to glare at that orange figure standing on the table.

" If this is a joke, Roland, I assure you that I am certainly not enjoying it."

"This is no joke sir, you have to see this yourself. When I first came across this picture I too had a hard time believing my eyes"

At that same moment, various images with reference to the various subject materialise in front of Lasky. The first picture showed a ship which bore a resemblance to British naval ships of the 15th century, massive wings were connected on both sides, each wing has a sort of cylindrical device connect in the centre of each wing. There was rudder like objects, two on each side of the cylindrical devices, and the ship utilises sails too. Multiples holes which were cannon emplacements were on both port and starboard of the ships, and right at the aft of the ship was a massive propeller. How the natives have managed to get this massive thing in the air was beyond Lasky. The next picture showed what looked like a group of four dragons flying in formation, but that was not what caught Lasky's attention. Riding the dragons was none-other than humans wearing bulky medieval armour carrying lances.

Humans

The mere contemplation on how a separate branch of Humanity evolving on a different planet entirely was enough to give him a really bad headache. How did these people get here? Are they the descendants of a lost Colony ship? Lasky quickly dismissed the Latter. It was not possible, If they were indeed a lost colony they would not have reverted back to the 17th century and lost all their technology. It was just no probable. But In his years of service, Lasky had learned to always expect the unexpected

"Roland open a communications channel to the Captains of the _Endurance_ and _Freedoms_ call. Also, get this data package to them as soon as you can."

"On it boss," Roland replied. As soon as he had spoken the bridge immediately darken. A second later two holographic screens materialised, one on each side of the holographic table.

"Captain Lasky, sir." the spoke in unison as they saluted. Despite the fact that both were of the same rank, they were two very different persons. Captain Williams Heffley was a veteran of the Human-Covenant war and had fought in 20 separate engagement Against the covenant. The years of service had taken a toll upon his health, evident by the various scars on his pale face. He was known to many in fleet command as a cold, cunning individual who would go through hell to complete his task. Captain Richards, On the other hand, was fresh out of the Naval academy. His first and only combat experience so far was against the Didact half a year ago. However, what he lacks in combat experience he makes up for it with his dedication and hard work. Clearing his throat, Lasky decided to get the ball rolling.

"Gentlemen, I assumed that you have all went over the data packet which was sent to you not long ago?"

"Yes, Captain. However, I am having a hard time believing my eyes. Orcs, an entire nation floating above the ocean, dragons and a continent similar if not the same as that of Europe. Not to mention the prospect of discovering another civilisation of humans? Forgive me for being sceptical, but it is as if we are in some sort of children's book." Williams replied in a disbelieving tone. As expected he was clearly beyond baffled as he started ruffling what little hair he had left.

"Indeed captains. Make no mistake, all of this are real. What's more, we are officially in uncharted space and have no means of communications with FLEETCOM or earth. Due to that our supply lines have been cut off, We are on our own."

Dead Silence reigned across the bridge as The gravity of the Situation started to sink in. The officers at their positions were silent as they continued with their work, however, some of them tensed up, knowing that they would most likely never see their loved ones again. The soul that was hit the hardest on the entire bridge was Captain Williams himself. Before they departed he had just received news that his daughter had just given birth to a pair of twins. The thought of never seeing his grandchildren was a grim prospect. Even though he was known for being a fierce commander in the Navy, he was also known to be a grandfather figure, helping out men under his command who were having problems and providing them with advice. He was also well known to love his family dearly and would do anything for them. Balling up his fist, he managed to control his emotions. Right now he has a job to do and he must be responsible for the men under his command.

"Sir with all due respect, is there no other way out?" Captain Richards replied in a calm manner. He too was still having problems coming to terms with their current predicament.

"Sadly there's nothing which we can do, right now we have no knowledge of where we are. The best we could do is set up a distress beacon and hope that the UNSC picks up. But that's not why we are holding this conference. Gentlemen, we have come into contact with civilisation and we are most likely going to have to meet them sooner or later. This is the first contact. From the Information we have gathered from our scanners and the image captured, The human civilisation that we are dealing with is similar to that of a mid 16th century European nation. As you can see the Infinity has landed about 50km away from this city, which is most likely their capital." The map was rotated to show the massive walled city.

"From The information we have on the continent now, we have landed on a small nation. Their economic status is unknown, but we have a fair gauge on their arm forces. Roland if you please."

A few images materialised. One of which was no doubt a Military camp of some sort. Soldiers were with brown Uniforms were practising with their muskets and some dragon riders were flying around the perimeter. Another image showed a fleet of ships with wings that were in a kind of dry dock.

"As you can see from the images. Their military has two types of Infantry, one of them are Musketeers, while the other is regular medieval soldiers. Utilising spears, swords and other primitive forms of weaponry, they also utilise dragons and flying ships for aerial warfare. Said flying ships are armed with what appears to be 17th-century cannons. While we have information on their weaponry, we do not have the numbers."

"Sir with as due respect sir, Our forces should be more of a match against them. We are most likely millennia ahead of them. Even if they outnumber us we would most likely be able to handle them, their strongest weapons can't even penetrate our infantry armour"

"I believe that it is best for us to quickly get into contact with the local government. The locals might view this as an invasion and might respond with force. Quickly negotiating with them would no doubt help to ease tensions. Problem is we do not currently know of the language spoken here. And may I remind you, Captain Richards, that our ammunition is not unlimited."

"And that's why captain William, I am proposing that we begin mining operations on the asteroid belt near the moon. Scans have shown that they are rich in minerals. This way we can get the materials we need. We should also establish a forward operating base planetside."

"Won't that lead to war? We are on their land after all." Roland questioned.

"Simple, We will discuss about the FOB with the natives at the negotiations." Captain Williams replied

"Captain Lasky, I suggest we deploy our ground contingent to secure a perimeter 2km away from the Infinity, This will not leave us completely defenceless and will let our marines respond to threats more effectively. The last thing we want is for the natives to launch a surprise attack. Scout teams would also be sent out to investigate and gain more information on the natives."

"And what if the Natives were to begin hostilities?"

"We crush them, simple as that. If we let them attack us without striking back we would be seen as weak. We need to send a clear message that the UNSC is not to be trifled with."

"What of the cruisers? Our escorts?"

"The Cruisers would be stationed high in orbit while the frigates would form a perimeter around the infinity and support the marines and spartans."

Lasky stood in silence thinking about their plan. Mining the asteroids would grant the UNSC access to alloys and materials needed to repair and produce munitions needed for their ships, vehicles and troops. Construction of a planetside FOB would also be useful, however, what he fears is that the Natives would see it as a declaration of war and might attack the Infinity. While he has no doubts that the UNSC would be able to handle the natives, he would rather not throw away lives so easily when there is a chance for peace. Having made his decision, he turned back to face the two captains.

"Very well, After spending some time thinking about your ideas. Mining operations can soon begin once we are ready, however plans for the FOB would be put on hold. The FOB can be discussed with the Natives during the upcoming negotiations, the last thing we need is to start a war. However, I agree that a perimeter must be set up. If these people can somehow get a ship that size without engines or thrusters in the air, They must be treated with great caution. Thank you, captains, your suggestion has been noted. Right now get your ships to their assigned coordinates. I will contact you when needed. Good day." Ending the Video conference, Lasky began to bark out orders to the crew.

"Lieutenant Austen. Get our PD systems, shielding, archer pods and mac guns back online. Deploy Marines to coordinates A0-23 and A0-78. I want checkpoints set up around the roads, Nothing that isn't UNSC gets in. Lieutenant Ryder, send a message to the captains of the frigates, I want them to hold position at 1.0km from the Infinity. Lieutenant jet, I want two squadrons of sabres on standby, have them ready to reinforce our troops. Lieutenant James, Get our engines back online. Now Let's get a move on people!"

A chorus of "yes sirs" rang out across the Bridge as the various crew member got to work. The once tense and thick atmosphere was replaced with one of enthusiasm and determination.

 **UNSC Infinity**

 **Vehicle Bay 13**

"Damn, looks like shit's about to hit the fan," Saito muttered to himself as they rushed into the bay. The vehicle bay was in a frenzy as crates of ammunition were being loaded into the scorpions, warthogs were being refuelled and the technicians were running diagnostic on the m650s. Barbwire and other defensive emplacements were being loaded onto a few pelicans which were needed for the checkpoints. Running right past the mammoths, the trio quickly fell in with the rest of the platoon. In front of them were two m650s and an m820 scorpion and to his surprise a fireteam of Spartan IVS! Saito could have sworn he saw Marcus' eyes glimmer. He turned towards the first-lieutenant just as he was about to begin his briefing.

The same officer which took command of his squad soon stepped on top of the scorpion and turned to face the mass of men. Decked out in marine BDU with a cap instead of a helmet on his head, his scars were visible to the many eyes in the hanger, one of them especially was running up his right eye. Taking a minute to survey his surroundings, he began to speak

"I believe introductions are in order. I am Lieutenant Colter and I would be your commanding officer for this platoon. I expect only one thing of all of you, that you carry out your assigned tasks without hesitation. As soldiers of the UNSC, it is our duty to protect humanity and safeguard the colonies of Earth, regardless of the cost. I do not tolerate any form of cowardice or treason, show any signs of these and I will shoot you myself. Is that clear?"

"Now Under orders by Captain Lasky, Our platoon has been assigned to scout out the forested area of this local planet." A holographic map was brought up as the lieutenant highlighted that particular area in red. "We are to perform reconnaissance of this area and report whatever we find back to the captain. Our scanners have detected a few settlements just north of the Infinity, which we will make contact with if necessary. As this is your platoon's first mission, I expect all of you to be on your best performance. Standard ROE still applies. Do not attack the locals unless they are hostile. Additionally, from what we have gathered so far, the natives of this planet are humans, Also on this…."

The lieutenant was cut off by a wave of chatter coming from the platoon. Confused and excited Whispers were soon heard throughout the platoon at the revelation of this piece of information. Saito was one of those stunned at this piece of intel. Is a separate branch of humanity evolving on another planet? That was impossible, it's was just unfathomable. He at first thought of it as a joke but after witnessing the serious look on the lieutenants face, he knew he wasn't lying. As he stood the in silent contemplation, he felt someone elbowing his side. Turning around, he saw that it was Cheng.

"Well Saito, at least it isn't some Xenos, don't understand why we even bothering making peace with those split-lips."

"We didn't have a choice, nor the manpower or equipment to wipe them off the face of the galaxy. But hey at least they aren't trying to kill us anymore...

"QUIET!" The voice of the Lieutenant echoed throughout the hanger, causing a few of the pilots and technicians to turn and look.

"Now as I was saying, we are to scout out the area and report any threats encountered. And also, right here today we have the honour of being accompanied by fireteam majestic themselves. With the blessing of captain Lasky, they would be assisting us in our mission. If there are no questions, We move out in 5 minutes. Squad 1 and 2 would take the mastodon 527, while the other half accompanied by the Spartans would take the 522, Now MOVE OUT!" The lieutenant bellowed at the greenies.

"SIR YES SIR!" the platoon chorused as they took their places in the m650s, footsteps echoing throughout the interior of the APC. As Saito took his seat right in between Cheng and Marcus he could not help but be amazed at the large troop compartments of the M650 mastodon. Most of the time during his training, they were carried around in the small m831 which was for intent and purposes a warthog with extra seats. Whenever he was in the m831 he could not help but feel very, very exposed. The fact that it had little to no armour plating and is open topped did little to ease his sense of discomfort. However, it is quite fast and manoeuvrable. But in Saito's own opinion, all that manoeuvrability would not save you if you are taken out already. However, the m650 was a whole different thing. The vehicle is not only heavily armoured but it also has a Vulcan turret as its main armament. It may not seem very impressive but it is certainly better than nothing. It was mostly dark in the M650 except for a few lights on the entrance. What was only 5 minutes felt like an eternity for the men and women of the 36th platoon. As the marines sat in silence awaiting orders to move out, the air was thick with tension. which was Not surprising as it was going to be one of their first deployments. As Saito looked around, he noticed Cheng was running last minute checks on his rifle, counting his magazines and Marcus was busy cleaning his bayonet. As Saito was busy thinking about how contact with the locals was going to play out, the M650 began to vibrate vigorously. A message was soon heard throughout the vehicle bay.

 **BAY DOORS ARE OPENING, ALL PERSONNEL PLEASE STAND CLEAR**

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for, the day that the marines of the 36th platoon would prove themselves in a trial by fire. no sooner had the announcement been finished than the rear ramp of the M650 shut, leaving the interior in darkness before the lights flickered to life. As the bay doors opened, all personals in the Bay were engulfed by the warmth of the sun. it's rays spreading evenly throughout the deepest, darkest corners of the vehicular bay, temporarily blinding the occupants of vehicle bay 13, The occupants of M650 31 were no different

 **BAY DOORS OPENED. LOWERING RAMP**

"Here we go, here we go, here we go," Cheng muttered to himself as he inserted a fresh clip into his BR55. The engines of scorpions, m650s and warthogs soon came to life, eager to spring into action.

 **RAMP LOWERED. BEGIN DEPLOYMENT**

"ALL UNITS, MOVE OUT!" the voice of the Lieutenant bellowed throughout the Intercom. No less had he finished his sentence did the first M820S exited the bay, tracks clattering on the surface of the ramp, the once blinding light was replaced with the view of grassy and lush plains with a forest just ahead of them. Exhaust belched from the tanks as they moved down the ramp and across the surface of the plains, followed by warthogs and M650s. High above in the skies were the infinities strident class frigates maintaining Virgil over the grounded ship, their weapons ready to go hot in the event that the flagship is threatened .The convoy rolled across the dirt roads of the plains and were soon entering the forest dead ahead. by then many units have broken from the main group, heading to their various assigned destinations. For the men and women of the UNSC, the events that will transpire on this day would go down in the annals of human history.

 **Unknown planet: xxxx**

 **Forested area, UNSC recon team 3**

As the m650 Mastodon rolled across the plains and into the nearby forest, a rather large and imposing figure sat in silent contemplation as he observed a few of the greenies chatting with each other. That figure was none other than Fireteam Majestic leader, Paul Demarco.

Born and raised on the colony world of Algolis on August 18 2532. De Marco joined up with the UNSC marine corp when he was of acceptable age. Due to his outstanding performance in the marines, he was soon transferred to the ODSTs, In which he took part in numerous campaigns and skirmishes against the covenant on many worlds. At the end of the war like many other highly skilled ODSTs, he was given a choice to join the Spartan Corp. As expected, he accepted the offer with great enthusiasm. After all, it was not common for some ODST to be offered a chance to become one of the legendary Spartans. During his Training, he was known to have a brash and arrogant personality, usually charging in head first into the thick of the fighting. He also had the tendency to look down on fellow peers in his former unit in the marines. However, he was noted for being a quick thinking and a brilliant strategist, which was the main reason why he was inducted into the SPARTAN programme.

Sitting right next to him was Gabriel Thorne, the rookie who was newly transferred to fireteam majestic before this whole mess started. Seeing that they still have some time before they made contact with the native village, he decided to go over Gabriel's file.

Pulling out his datapad, he soon learnt that Gabriel was raised by two Officers in the UNSC army on New Phoenix. Sadly, both parents were killed on Alluvion when the Covenant attacked. It was Something that DeMarco could sympathise with. During the war, it was not uncommon for whole families to be torn apart, especially those who have relatives serving in the armed forces. He still remembers the chaos that would always happen without fail during an evacuation of a planet. Civilians trampling over each other just to get to safety to the few transport ships that haven't been blown up by the covenant, Marines, ODSTs desperately holding the covenant back for just a few seconds just for another transport to escape. Shaking his head, he soon returned to reviewing Gabriels files.

Gabriel was then raised by his grandmother, the last member of his family and spent the remainder of his childhood on earth. He soon Enlisted in the UNSC army at a young age. gabriel thorne path to becoming a spartan started when he single-handedly saved his platoon during the battle of criterion when the covenant attacked in 2552. Thorne would then go on to fight during the battle of Reach, followed by the battle of tribute until both worlds were glassed. His unit like most was transferred to the Sol system to defend the human homeworld against the inevitable covenant invasion. he was stationed at mars and fought under the command of Colonel Ackerson until the war ended. After the War, he like many other skilled individuals were given the opportunity to join up with the new spartan corp. When things were just starting to look up for Gabriel Thorne, Life decided to throw him a curve ball. His grandmother living in New Phoenix, the last family member that he had left, was composed alongside the millions of others when the Didact attacked earth. During the Time when Infinity was in docks for repairs, the quarantine around new phoenix was lifted. A ceremony was held to honour the millions who lost their lives in the unprovoked attack. After listening to the speech by the UEG president, He along with a fellow Team member by the Name of Grant went to visit his old apartment, where Gabriel finally accepted his predicament and learned to move on.

Closing the data-pad, Demarco leans his head back, Contemplating how Thorne was going to fit in with the team. From what he had read, Gabriel has shown remarkable prowess in combat, which would no doubt be useful. However, he also had to ascertain if he could get along with the current team members. All the training and firepower isn't going to save you if you can't work well with the others. As the old saying goes, all for one one for all. Before he could think further, he was cut off by an unmistakable voice in the intercom.

"Sir, Is everything alright? You are awfully silent during this trip." Gabriel spoke through his helmet as he counted the ammunition in his clip.

"It's fine, but I still Do not understand why do we require this much firepower, not to mention a whole platoon of rookies fresh out of boot camp," Demarco replied half-lying. It was partially true that he was irked by the fact that they had the "honour" of babysitting a bunch of newbies. They are Fireteam Majestic, one of the best spartan 4 teams on the Infinity, having participated in uncountable campaigns and skirmishes ever since they joined the UNSC. They could easily handle any opposition thrown at them by the Natives. And if the reports they received were accurate, they need not fret that much as it would be a cake-walk. With their superior training and weaponry, the natives would stand no chance. That was not the only reason why he didn't like the new recruits on his team. During his time as an ODST and a marine, he had seen dozens, if not hundreds of New recruits zealously charged into the thick of the fighting despite orders from their commanders not to, only to end up in a body bag once the battle was over. He recalled in one battle a greenie pushing forward too quickly without support from the rest of the squad, only to be smashed to tiny bits by a chieftain hiding behind a wall. Their inexperience is going to be a liability and might jeopardize the mission and others. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and that was the fact that at least they could easily be reinforced in the event that they were outnumbered.

"I know what you are thinking, and It has its flaws." The voice of Carlo Hoya decided to make its appearance. Hoya might look fierce and intimidating on the outside, however, he's quite laid back on the inside, Willing to help a fellow soldier in need. "Sure, they might have no experience at all, but so did we when we first Enlisted. And besides, we could use the extra firepower they have. That 150mm is going to give anyone who is dumb enough to stand in our way a bad day."

As Saito was resting his eyes, he Noticed a barely audible buzzing coming from the Helmets of the Spartans, Indicating that they were engaged in some sort of discussion between themselves on a private communication channel. As he gazed out into the lush greenery of the forest, he recalled the many nature reserves that his father would take him to visit back on Reach. Reach from orbit shared many similarities with the Homeworld of humanity, great wide oceans teeming with aquatic wildlife, lush forests and grassy plains. All of those had been Ripped from Humanity when the damned covenant arrived. He painfully remembered that moment as the transport soared into the heavens away from the burning husk of a once thriving planet. It's seas, evaporated. It's lush forest and plains, incinerated into ash and turned to glass. He remembered seeing the scarred and damaged hulls of UNSC ships as they fought with every ounce of strength left in them, firing everything including their Point defence turrets at the encroaching covenant, with the knowledge that the only thing that would achieve is pissing them off. A Heavily damaged marathon cruiser even fired all engines and thrusters and rammed a covenant cruiser, taking it down in the process. At that point, the battle was a free for all. The Trafalgar was destroyed and Any UNSC ship still in one piece were doing everything in their power to hold the covenant for a few minutes so that another transport could get to safety. That was how grim the situation was for them back then.

"Nothing you could have done about it," Cheng voiced dragged Saito from his thoughts.

"What?" Saito questioned Cheng in an almost threatening manner, causing cheng to let out an audible sigh.

"Stop living in the past and try to live in the present, I know it's hard for you but you will get used to it. You're not the only one whose home was glassed. "Cheng muttered as he went back to cleaning his weapon, knowing full well that his advice has fallen on deaf ears.

"Well excuse me your highness, but at least you managed to escape with your whole family intact, mine didn't"

Whatever counter arguments that Cheng once had were silenced. He knew that Saito in a way was correct. While he and Marcus lost their homes, at least they had their family. Saito, on the other hand, lost almost everything.

"yeah,...you're probably right. no point crying over spilt milk now." Saito mulled to himself before leaning his head against the viewport. "Sorry if i sounded too hostile just now."

"Nah, its cool man." cheng replied with a smile on his face

Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the mastodon, lieutenant coulter was going through the reports and images the drones have brought back. Normally mastodons would not be outfitted with reconnaissance drones, however considering the fact that this is a recon mission it would seem most appropriate. As he scrolled through the datapad he soon came across something which caught his eyes. Turning it off, he hastily went over to the driver of the vehicle.

"Get me captain Lasky, priority channel" Lieutenant Coulter mentioned to the pilot of the mastodon. As the pilot punched in a few buttons, they were soon greeted by the holographic figure of admiral Lasky

"Lieutenant Coulter, status report."

"Admiral." Coulter replied with a salute. " the drones have returned with what appears to be images of the inhabitants of this world taken 0.8km away, one is a middle age man with glasses and another is a girl. Judging by the apparel of the man, I would say that he is most likely a noble, he could help us get into contact with the local government. There is no way a lowly peasant could have this type of fabric for the clothes."

"Lieutenant we can't just assume that man has links to the government of this world. For all, we know these clothes could be commonplace for the common citizens." Lasky replied with his arms folded.

"Sir I think it is best if you see this, video footage captured by the drones have shown that the way he moves, the way he speaks, I am confident that he should be able to assist us in contacting the local government."

Silence reign across the intercom as coulter awaited further instructions. Lasky pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a resigned sigh. "Very well, you are to make contact with the natives and attempt to open dialogue between the UNSC and the inhabitants. Lasky out." and with that, the line was cut. reaching down to the console, coulter opens a channel to the rest of the platoon

"Attention, as of this moment we are about to initiate contact with the locals. Convoy is to hold position just outside the forest, we don't want to scare the natives. Fireteam majestic, on me. The marines would hold position and get ready to disembark at the first sign of trouble." Lieutenant coulter mentioned over the intercom. The side doors of the mastodon were soon lowered, disgorging the first contact squad. As they slowly made their way through the thick foliage, they were soon greeted with the sight of a green haired man with glasses holding a wooden rod at them and a pink haired teen behind him.

 **Unknown planet:xxxx**

 **[Redacted] forest**

To say that Louise was happy was an understatement. No, the better word to describe what she's feeling is downright euphoric. For you see about an hour ago she had just finished packing her things and was about to call for a maid to help her carry all the baggage when all of a sudden, the earth began to tremble. The next thing she thought was the following earthquake that made her thought that the world was ending. Despite all of that though she managed to peek through the window, she was fortunate enough to see something large and metallic over the horizon. If she was anyone else she would have dismissed what she saw. Louise felt her whole world stop upon having a closer look at what crashed and finally put two and two together. Elation dawned on her features and she immediately stumbled towards her door and made a break for it outside and towards the stables. Once she picked her stallion she kicked both of her legs at both sides of the horse, said animal gave an indignant whinny before galloping towards the place it didn't want to go in the first place.

"Miss Valliere!"

Louise perked up at the sound and turned around to look for the source of the noise. Her eyes widened at who the voice belonged to Mr Jean Colbert. Looking forward again she kicked both sides of the horse prompting it to speed up. The horse followed her orders and began to gallop even faster. She looked back and to her dismay, the distance between her and her teacher didn't change, from the looks of it, Mr Colbert was even gaining some distance. Louise spotted something that his teacher was holding."He's using wind stones! she thought. "No this can't be happening! I'm so close, just a little longer!

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on Louise's side today, this was shown when her horse began to pant heavily. What started off as a speedy gallop slowly turned into a cumbersome trot before finally the horse completely stopped. No matter what Louise tried the horse wouldn't budge. This was further cemented when the horse lowered its head and began to eat the greens that it was stepping on during the entire chase. Finally, Louise gave a loud cry of frustration that even Colbert heard despite being quite distant.

Eventually, he caught up with the runaway student. "Miss Valliere this entire chase has been pointless, to begin with, what in Brimir's name possessed you to commit such an act!" it wasn't a question but a statement. Yet despite this Louise tried to answer it

"I-I was…" She stuttered.

"I don't have time to listen to your reasons, come we have to go back to the academy,"

She didn't move

"Miss Valliere, we are going back to the academy this instant!" he said sternly.

She didn't utter a word

"Young lady, we are going back to the academy whether you like it or not!" he said slowly showing some if his military persona.

"No….no..no NO NO! We all know what fate awaits me once I get back to the academy, what's the whole point anyway? I can't even summon a familiar. Heck, No matter what spells I try the outcome is always the same! Explosions ,explosions ex-fucking-plosions! I can't perform spells, I can't summon a familiar and to top it off I'm getting expelled?!" Louise shouted at the top of her lungs, before punching the nearest tree. The sound of the impact was coupled with the cracking of bones, blood slowly began to trickle down her fist

"All those nights burning the midnight oil, all those hours of practising? What good did it even Everyone in my family is able to practice magic flawlessly, meanwhile I can't even master the simplest of spells? I'm a founder-damned disgrace to the family. You know what, to hell with magic, to hell with being a noble, to hell with it all!" falling down on to her knees, Louise began to sob. All the anger and frustration that had built up in her after all the years at the academy is finally being let loose.

The cold, stern expression on Colbert's face soon changed into that of sympathy. He had heard from the other teachers at the academy about the apparent problems that Louise was facing. No matter how many times she was taught, the only thing that her spells seem to produce is explosions after explosions, hence her nickname "zero". He also knew that peer pressure was slowly taking its toll on the poor girl, slowly but surely. Contrary to popular opinion, being a noble was no easy task. There were strict rules that dictate how one of noble blood should uphold themselves in public, from how they speak, how they eat and even to how they walk. However, all of these pale in comparison to the nobles ability to harness magic. Magic was essentially the lifeblood of all nobles. One's status as a noble depends on how well he or she could successfully manipulate magic. Almost every noble in halkegenia are mages in one way or another, which was another factor which separated themselves from the common citizenry . for a noble to repeatedly fail the simplest of spells, it brought great shame upon their family and said noble would most likely be stripped of his/her title and would live the rest of their lives as a mere peasant, scorned and ostracised from their former friends. It was no surprise that Louise was having a mental breakdown right now.

"You know, back when I was in the army, there was this fine officer named Oswald," Colbert said as he took a sit right beside Louise, grabbing her attention.

"He was once a noble, just like you. However during the summoning ritual…."

"He failed, didn't he?" Louise replied in a monotone voice. While most nobles were able to summon their familiars, there was a small minority which had failed to do so.

"So it would seem. He was stripped of his nobility, alienated by his family, and his closest friends all turned their backs on him."

"However, despite all the hardships he faced, He refused to give up. casting his lot with the army, he worked his way up through the ranks. despite the shame of his inability to perform magic. After 7 long years of blood, sweat and tears, he was finally rewarded with the rank of colonel. You see Louise, Magic doesn't determine if you are to succeed in life, it is your own determination and will power. you can be the strongest mage in the whole of halkegenia, but if you do not have the determination to succeed, if you do not have the courage to move on and learn from your mistakes, then it's all useless." Colbert continued

Louise sat there motionless for a few seconds as if to think about what Colbert had just said. Wiping her tears from her eyes, she stood up, hope and determination burning bright in her eyes.

"You're...you're right, I'm not giving up this easily. So what if I'm no mage? I will find another path. I am Louise Francoise oh house La Vallière. I'm not giving up this easily!"

"That's the spirit, do not think too much about it. I am sure we can work something out once we get back to the….." Colbert came to an abrupt stop as he instinctively grabbed his wand and took a fighting stance. After all those years in the army and from his combat experience, Colbert had learned how to discern if one was being sneaked upon. He could hear the unknowns slowly making their way towards them, their heavy iron boots trampling the patches of grass.

"What's going on?" Louise asked, fear evident in her voice

"We're not alone. Louise, get behind me." Colbert readied his wand, prepared to strike down their soon to be attackers. What he saw next would shock him to the core

Three, no four heavily armoured knights emerged from the castle of wood. Clad in dark blue heavy armour from the head to toe, armour that was beyond the capabilities of the greatest artisans in the whole continent. they wore helmets with wide and threatening orange visors. In their hand, they brandished large, heavy grey muskets with a strange box-like contraption at the back of the stock. These muskets seemed to be made of….. A type of metal? Justs thinking about the cost of making iron muskets started to make Colbert's head spin. At the current time, it was seemingly impossible to craft a musket made from iron. And even if they did manage to accomplish this impossible task, it would bankrupt the whole state just to supply the common musketeer with such weapons. Perhaps these were experimental weapons made just for these knights? All four knights surrounded them, weapons at the ready to be used at the first sign of trouble. Behind them emerged an unarmed middle age man, dressed in a uniform with different splotches of green on it. He too was wearing a set of armour which was alien to Colbert, from appearance it looked lighter and less bulky than that of the four knights. 'From the way he carried himself, he must be these knights commanding officer' Colbert thought to himself. The officer approached them, before coming to a stop a few feet from them.

"Greetings, can you understand me?" the officer questioned in Albion with a germanian accent.

"Yes, you are speaking Albion aren't you?" Colbert cautiously responded.

"Albion, Is that what your people call English? Nevertheless. I am lieutenant Colter of the UNSC marine corp, with me is spartan fireteam majestic. Judging by the way you carry yourself, You are a noble aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am Colbert, a professor at the tristain Academy of magic. Behind me is Louise, one of my students."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir Colbert. Now I know you have questions, And I will do my best to answer them. We came from that massive ship that has crashed landed not far from here. We are here to open diplomatic relations with the ruling monarchy of this country."

Before Colbert could formulate a response, loud explosions and impacts could be heard from across the forest. The spartans immediately assumed a combat posture and weapons were raised. Colbert easily recognises the spells and impacts to belong to a particular ice and fire mage, Tabitha and Kirche. His blood suddenly ran cold for a second time that day as realization dawned upon him.

"Is everything alright sir? You seemed to be a little pale."

"Mr Coulter, we are in ork territory. When your ship crashed, it must have sent the orks into a frenzy and caused them to flee, but now they have returned in force to take back what is theirs. And it seems that two of my students have made contact with them."Upon hearing this dreadful piece of information. The expression on the face of the UNSC officer turned from friendly to grim.

"I'm terribly sorry my good sir, but I must leave to help my students. They are under attack by a large group of orcs. I advise that you leave this place immediately, the orcs would overwhelm you." Colbert said as he helped Louise onto her horse before heading to his. Turning about, he could see the officer of this 'UNSC' pressing one side of his helmet and speaking into it. It took a few seconds before the officer turned around to face him.

"They might have the numbers, but we have the big guns on our side, admiral Lasky has given us permission to assist you," Coulter replied

Colbert could not help but be a little sceptical at the proposition placed before him. This lieutenant coulter and his 4 'spartans' are going to help him hold off at least 100 orcs? Orcs were well known for their violent nature and their ability to withstand and tank huge amounts of damage. It would take a dozen musketeers to usually down an orc, and that was if they aimed for the head. The mere thought of 5 of them facing off a numerically superior orc hoard was just ludicrous "You are going to need more than 4 men to hold of few hundred orks, my good sir." Colbert stated

At that moment, the ground around him began to shake, small saplings began to collapse and birds started to fly away from their nests. Giant, metal beast emerged from the green abyss, their wheels and tracks crushing plants and any unfortunate creature standing in their way. Two of them were large, brown, twice the height of an average man and had wheels the size of boulders. Their shape was similar to that of a beetle and mounted at the top of the beast was a rod of some sort. The next was green was a huge beast which moves with the help of tracks, it had a low silhouette and the front part of it was sloped upwards, the back half mounted what Colbert recognise to be that of a cannon. If he was viewing it from a distance he could have sworn that it was a scorpion.

Large doors on the two brown beasts opened with a hiss, and with that, about 18 soldiers from each of the mechanical constructs rushed out from their bellies. All 36 of them were clad in the same armour as coulter and wielded the same weapons as the four "spartans". Forming up in three roles behind coulter, rifles at the ready. Colbert could see the tension and excitement emitting from the group assembled before him. While a few of the soldiers before him were veterans evident from the various scars, a large majority of them were fresh meat. turning to face coulter, He soon noticed the smirk on his face.

"Who said it was only four men anyway?"

 ** _Authors note:_**

 _And thats a wrap. if you guys are wondering about the marines, their armour is similar to those in halo war 2, except green of course.(never really liked the halo 4 designs)_

 _Zelta out_


End file.
